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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26146522">To Weather a Storm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnyclarke/pseuds/saeyoungs-sunflower'>saeyoungs-sunflower (sunnyclarke)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mystic Messenger (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, First Love, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:27:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,619</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26146522</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnyclarke/pseuds/saeyoungs-sunflower</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s easier to hide from the storm, but do you really want to waste away under your shelter, having never danced in the rain?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character, 707 | Choi Luciel/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>To Weather a Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He was killing himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eighteen years old. At this rate he wouldn’t live to see nineteen, inching closer to death’s cold embrace with every sleepless night and every meal skipped. Even off hours he was working, his fingers trembling as they danced across the keys for hours, days on end. He just needed to prove he was the best. He needed them to trust him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saeyoung was still technically in training, despite the fact that he was likely the most skilled hacker in the agency, let alone amongst the recruits. The agency was thrilled by his skills and work ethic, which was exactly what he needed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He needed them to trust him to the point where they were dependent on him. If they needed him, then he would remain in the agency for as long as he lived, and therefore his other half was safe for that same length of time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Whilst the agency didn’t care for their agents’ wellbeing in the slightest, they cared about losing something valuable to them. And, in this case, it was 707.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They sent me to tell you to go the hell to bed,” came a voice from behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He kept his eyes glued to the screen, “Then tell them to fuck off.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you have a death wish?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a weary sigh, you sat at the computer next to him and he finally looked at you, his eyes bloodshot and his face devoid of any colour. Or life, for that matter. You looked him dead in the eye, “I get what you’re doing, but you’re not going to be any help if you’re a corpse.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t care. That’s the boss’ problem, not mine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not talking about him, I’m talking about the person you’re protecting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes shot to yours in panic, and you laughed despite yourself, “People don’t come here for a holiday, you idiot. Everyone who’s here is here for a reason, and we all know it’s the same reason.” You were the exception to that rule, but that wasn’t necessary for him to know.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He reclined in his chair and shut his eyes for what felt like the first time in days. Maybe it was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You placed your hand on top of his, the action startling him a little, making you chuckle, “Listen, you don’t have to do all this. You’re better at this than all of us combined, the boss adores you. You have nothing to worry about, okay?” the soft smile that graced your features was enough to make Saeyoung feel more at ease. You were too kind. You didn’t belong there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Your eyes flickered towards his computer screen and you sighed again, “I’m going to get you some water and some food whilst you finish up, but then you are getting some sleep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saeyoung watched you as you left, and wondered how such a warm soul had found themselves in such an icy place. You were taking a huge risk by caring for him, and yet you did it without hesitation nor complaint. He couldn’t tell if that was down to altruism or naivety. He suspected it was both.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After you returned, he ate and drank as you took over his work, finishing the last bit of coding before shutting down the computer. He was surprised by your effortless ability to continue from where he left off, but was even more surprised by your willingness to do so. You stood up once you both finished and held out your hand for him, which he took, letting you hoist him to his feet as he discovered he was too weak to stand on his own. With one arm around you for support, you led him back to the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every recruit slept on the floor in the same damp room, and with your designated space being directly next to Saeyoung’s, you got to know one another. Not much, not at all, but a little goes a long way in such wretched circumstances. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You learnt that his mouth twitched when he had a nightmare, so you always woke up when it did so. He learnt that you subconsciously twiddle your thumbs when you couldn’t sleep, so he’d watch over you until you went still and your breath evened. Little by little, you learnt to look out for each other. You were in it together and, at least for a while, that was enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Usually, forming relationships of any kind within the agency was forbidden, but since he was the boss’ golden boy, he could get away with anything he damn well pleased. Not you, though. And whilst you were kind, you were no doormat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next morning, during working hours, you kicked up a fuss (rightfully so, Saeyoung thought) about a guard whose hands were wandering in a place they had no business being. The agency was not impressed by your reaction. They didn’t like your stubbornness or your strong will. They didn’t like your self-awareness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You were taken away, and Saeyoung didn’t see you again until you came to bed long after the sun had set. You were practically chucked into the room, your crumpled form a heap on the hard floor, the cold biting at your bare skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saeyoung struggled to see you in the darkness, but he could just about identify your silhouette as you heaved yourself up, dragging your weight towards your space. As you got closer, he could start to see the glisten from the tears that coated your face, trickling over bruised and slashed flesh. When you laid down, he carefully moved his hand to envelope yours, stroking the back of it with his thumb - a silent message carrying all that your feeble heart needed to hear. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry you went through that. I’m here. It’s not happening anymore. I’m not going anywhere.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re not alone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His warm breath tickled your face, and you knew that if you edged forward, your forehead would meet his. With a moment’s hesitation, you did so, and that was where you remained until morning, desperately clutching on to the only sign of humanity that could be seen for miles, and the only man to touch you without teeth bared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From then, you slept every night like that, inching closer and closer until finally his lips hesitantly grazed against your own. Tentative fingertips roamed over pebbled skin, and with a hand cradling your neck and a stroke of his tongue against your bottom lip, you welcomed him to take you completely with his illicit kiss. A reckless attempt to feel something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> other than pure agony.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You were only children. Naive, daring, broken children who had never known love of any kind, but were somehow able to offer it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You wished it could still be enough, that your quiet entanglement could be your one reason to hold on. But the tightrope you walked on became more turbulent everyday.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was an enormous risk, but a risk you would take.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The guards became more hostile towards you after your incident, and their tolerance had reached an all time low. You were reported more often and your punishments became more brutal. You realised then that Hell wasn’t a place, it was a snap of a belt and a knick of a knife, a knee to the gut. You needed to escape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A month after this began, you sent him a message. He was a good enough hacker that he was able to set up a chatroom that only you two could access, and that wouldn’t be detected by those higher up. It was your only safe haven, a trench on a battlefield. But burying yourself away from the action didn’t mean the war had ended.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>606: </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>I’m getting out of here.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>707:</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> there’s only one way out, and you what that is</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>606: </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>That’s only if I don’t run fast enough.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>707: </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>they’ll kill you</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>606:</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> Then so be it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>707: </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>i’m not going to let that happen</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>606:</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> It’s not your problem.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>707:</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> it is if it’s you.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>606:</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> You don’t even know me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>707: </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>i know enough</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>606: </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That night, you didn’t come back to your bed, and there was no sign of you other than the chilling echo of a gunshot that resonated through the building. Saeyoung crushed his eyelids shut, yet the tears still flowed as his teeth dug into his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, the bitter mix of salt and iron consuming his taste buds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A rumour got around that you had tried to run and were shot on sight. You were used as a cautionary tale for new recruits. Apparently they had the CCTV footage. Apparently they showed them the pictures. Saeyoung wouldn’t know, he stopped listening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From that day forward, he put his headphones on and worked. He worked until his fingers bled and blistered, reminding himself everyday of why he couldn’t rock the boat unless he could see the shore, especially in such turbulent waters. You took that chance, and you couldn’t even swim.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saeyoung found your name two days after you disappeared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>MC.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A picture of you from your life before also came up in his search, and he threw up in the bathroom as the image of you smiling slowly morphed into that of your limp and bloodied body, eyes wide open as they pierced into his own, haunting him. One day he would avenge you, and one day, in another life, he would see your smile again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But today, he had to work.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“707! On your right!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Swivelling around, Saeyoung deftly aimed his gun at the guard approaching, landing a perfect shot between the eyes. His aim was so accurate, in fact, that he landed it with his own eyes closed. He never looked, he could never stomach it. “Vanderwood, you keep a look out. I’m going to scope out the place.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Roger that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Missions were the most onerous part of the job for Saeyoung. With every bullet and every crimson stain on another body, he felt a piece of whatever innocence he had disappear. Scar tissue was harder than skin, and at that point, he felt he had no softness left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This mission, however, was particularly demanding. The opposing side outnumbered Vanderwood and himself by a long shot, but they somehow managed to hold their own. They were both convinced they had taken down everyone in the building, so he was caught off guard when he entered what he thought was an empty room, only to find himself face-to-face, or gun-to-gun with someone who should have been dead hours ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Or, upon inspection, years ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…MC?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He lowered his gun but you kept your hold strong, eyes never wavering from his. His mouth was agape as he took in the sight before him. Your hair had grown, you were thinner, and he could have sworn your eyes had lost their colour.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>God</span>
  </em>
  <span>, there was still something so ineffably beautiful about you. That much hadn’t changed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saeyoung had dropped the gun completely, the clash of metal against metal pervading the room, “What are you doing here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I could ask the same of you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah? Well I believed you to be dead for years now so I think my question is a tad fucking more valid.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a split second, he swore he saw your lips quiver before you pressed them into a thin line, “You were always a better hacker, 707, but I was a better frontliner. I got away with merely a bullet to the arm. But as they say, birds of a feather flock together, and it wasn’t long until I was found and recruited by someone else. Fate never favoured me, clearly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You held your aim, but he noticed your eyes go glassy and your knees almost buckle under your weight, and only then did he register the wound on your thigh and the ominous maroon pool on the floor next to you. His heart rate shot up, “MC…I need you to lower the gun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How the fuck do you know my name?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not important, what matters is that you’re gonna bleed out if we don’t do something about that wound right now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then I guess we’ll bleed out together,” you said, your voice strangled but your aim never faltering.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t really want that though, do you?” Saeyoung said quietly, his arms up as he creeped towards you until there was no empty space between you and him, only the barrel of your gun. Carefully, he took hold of it and tugged it out of your grasp, an arm around your waist as he lowered your collapsing form onto the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The colour left your face as beads of sweat started to trickle across your features. Saeyoung took out a bandage from his utility belt and started to wrap up the wound. It would need to be treated properly, but it was enough to get you out of there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You watched him intently as he attended to you, the same crease forming between his eyebrows from when he worked. It was strange the things you remember about another person. Only then did you realise just how much you had longed for him in the years gone by, and hot tears spilled from your eyes before you had time to register them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His attention immediately averted to your face, cradling it with both hands as he brushed away your tears with the pad of his thumb, “Hey hey hey, you’re okay. We’re gonna get you out of here, I’m not leaving you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s the point? I won’t last a month out there on my own.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not going to be on your own. Like I said, I’m not leaving you. You don’t belong in a place like this, and soon you won’t have to,” he rested his forehead on yours, just like you used to, “I need you to trust me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d be a burden.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You would never. Not to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You eyed him carefully, trying to find any mark of dishonesty on his face, but all you saw was heartache. “Your name,” you croaked, your bones growing heavier with every passing second, “I need to know your name.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Saeyoung,” he answered coolly, “Saeyoung Choi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tucked one arm under your knees and the other under your middle as he stood up, effortlessly manoeuvring through the building as he carried you. Vanderwood was waiting outside, exasperation etched on his face as he took in the sight of you both, “Seriously? What the hell is this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No questions, Vanderwood. Just drive,” he ordered as he glided into the backseat with you still in his arms. Setting you down carefully, he checked your injury before taking out his phone and calling the top name on his short list of contacts, “Jumin, it’s me. I need a favour.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The drive was quiet, but it wasn’t long until your leg was being treated privately in the penthouse of none other than the director of C&amp;R International, Jumin Han. You recognised him from the news, and his association with Saeyoung only raised more questions about his life after you left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once the doctor and Jumin Han left, Saeyoung moved to perch on the edge of your bed, gently rubbing your knee, “How’re you feeling?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Better…thank you. But, I still don’t know what you expect me to do now. I can’t stay here forever.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have made some arrangements,” he explained, inching closer to you, “You can now go by your real name, and you will become a part of a charity organisation called the RFA, taking the role of ‘party coordinator’. Myself and Jumin are also members and we, as well as the others, will protect you. We have an apartment for you, and you will be safe there. You can start afresh.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Your eyes widened, sceptical that fate had had such a quick change of heart, “What about the agency? And everyone else who wants me dead?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m dealing with it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t let you do that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not your choice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You both sat in a heavy silence for what felt like an eternity. Eventually you moved over, inviting him to take the space next to you. He did so, sliding up until you were lying face-to-face with the man that you thought had slipped out of your grasp. Surely it was all too good to be true.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s one catch though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And there it was. Too good indeed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You cocked an eyebrow, and he continued, “If this is to work, we need to keep our distance. You can’t be close to me when I’m still an agent, it’s too risky. After tonight, I’m your colleague at the RFA and nothing more,” you opened your mouth to object, but he cut you off before you had the opportunity, “No, this is non-negotiable. It’s too dangerous and I’m not taking any chances,” he paused, his next words almost a whisper, “I’m not losing you twice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something in your chest ached, but you understood. You had to. As long as he was an agent and was working to erase your soiled past, getting close to him would be too dangerous for the both of you. He was essentially betraying his agency, and if they found out, even he couldn’t get away with it. This was the only way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So for one last time you grabbed his hand, holding it close to your chest as you closed your eyes. He pressed a kiss against your forehead before placing his own there, in the same position as when you were young, but now your minds are a little wiser and your hearts a little more bruised. You prayed that you could stay like that forever, that the sun would never rise and you would never have to let go.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But morning was inevitable, and with the first rays of sunshine that filtered through the curtains, Saeyoung untangled himself from you and drove himself back to his bunker, refusing to grant himself the luxury of looking back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Headphones back over his ears and a soda in hand, he began to work, taking himself back to the quiet agony he resided in, his hiding place from the devil that knocked on his door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Your legs were dangling over the cliff top as you overlooked the city in the distance. You observed as more building lights flickered off the longer you sat. You wondered whether all the lights would disappear if you waited there long enough, leaving you completely alone on the outskirts of the city you built your new life on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But either way, you would never truly be alone, would you?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, for a trained agent, you’re not very stealthy,” you said smoothly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like you said, you were far better on the frontline than I was,” Saeyoung replied, “Besides, it was intentional. I thought I shouldn’t startle you when you’re so close to the edge.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You smirked and gave a hollow laugh, “Literally or figuratively?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, MC,” he said softly, sitting down next to you, “You tell me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been a little over a year since you started your new life, and you found it crazy how much had gone down in such a short amount of time. After everything that happened with the Mint Eye, you couldn’t believe that everyone returned alive. And better yet, Saeyoung returned with his brother, meaning he no longer relied on the agency, so he managed to worm his way out of their fierce grip. He became boundless, and so did you. Things were looking up, things we’re finally changing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But still, nothing had changed between you two.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You rested your head on his shoulder, both of you looking out onto the city until he finally broke the dense silence, “What are you thinking about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You took a deep breath, “I don’t think I was meant to live this long,” you began, “I should have been shot that night I ran, or bled to death the day our base was infiltrated. Hell, I should have died in that alleyway before they took me away.” That last part was new information to Saeyoung. He never knew that’s how you were recruited, and he suddenly felt his blood begin to boil. He tensed, trying to conceal his anger. “Yet, somehow, the universe kept me living and as well as that, kept bringing you to me. Like a guardian angel, I suppose. But life’s never really that generous is it? Because every time you came back, I could only get so close. You were just a trick of light,” your voice cracked at the same time his heart did, and he laid his head upon yours, “You’re free now, Saeyoung. When are you going to stop shutting me out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed, “There are people out there who hate me, MC, and want more than just me dead. Escaping the agency hasn’t changed that, it has left us in the same place as before. The closer you are to me, the less safe you are.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want safety, Saeyoung. I want you,” you turned to face him, but he was already standing up and walking away, hands shoved in his pockets. “So now I can’t even talk to you?” you yelled after him, getting up from your own seat on the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I already know what you are going to say. I’ve told you so many times before-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, and I listened, now it’s your turn. I’m sick of both of us taking away the other’s right to choose. We’re going to decide our future together, right now, and in order to do that we need to listen to each other.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He watched you silently for a moment, but you continued, attempting to swallow down the lump in your throat, “I used to dream of a life that was simple, plain sailing. A life where pain was a myth and everything was nothing short of a fairy tale. Every night I dreamed of that life, and every night I prayed for morning to never come so I could stay in that dream forever, because it was easier to hide there than to scrape through a day in the hell that was my reality. And then there was you, and you were kind and you cared for me when I thought I deserved nothing, that I was nothing. I realised then that I didn’t want to live in that dream anymore, you know why? Because you weren’t in it. Because I knew that being in love with you wouldn’t be easy-“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t throw that word around so carelessly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Carelessly</span>
  </em>
  <span>? When I ran away and heard that gunshot, the first image that came to my mind was you. Does that mean nothing to you? I’m about to die and I don’t feel fear, just a stabbing regret that I left behind the one thing that finally made me grateful for every sunrise,” you sobbed, tears now streaming down your face, “Saeyoung, if you tell me to stop, I’ll stop. If you don’t feel the same way, I will leave you alone. But if you tell me that you want me too, then how can you expect me to just walk away from you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You could die.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I could not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not willing to take that risk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But what if I am?” you cried, your body trembling, “What if I want to die having loved you rather than die having never known what it was like to do so?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It would be like loving a monster, because that’s what I am.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not to me. Not ever.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saeyoung couldn’t take his eyes off you, his clenched fists shaking by his side and his mind reeling. His heart was screaming at him to go to you, to hold you in his arms and tell you that he fell in love with you in a place where love didn’t even exist. That he has loved you since you were young and broken, and loved you more with every day that you grew older together. But his brain ordered him to hold back, and so he did. His head would always have power over his heart, that was his rule.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The soft peal of thunder could be heard in the distance as rain started to shower, quickly soaking your hair and clothes. Saeyoung looked at you with pleading eyes, “Get in the car, MC, I’m taking you home. You’ll get sick if we stay out here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You said before that you wouldn’t lose me twice,” you continued, ignoring his request, “but you lost me for the second time when you told me to keep my distance. I know you said it to protect me and I appreciate that, I really do, but you no longer get to decide that kind of thing on my behalf,” you stepped towards him until your faces were a breath away from each other, “I want you in my life, Saeyoung, and everything that comes with you. Please, you’ve been through enough tragedy and heartache, stop depriving yourself of what your heart yearns for. It’s a fleeting little life, take a risk and </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span> it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saeyoung’s heart was pounding so hard against his ribcage that he thought it would crack. He studied how your eyelashes glistened from the raindrops, before they slid down your cheek and rested at the point of your chin. He no longer knew where the raindrops ended and the tears began, but he did know that he couldn’t hold back anymore. For once, he would let his heart take the wheel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear before he held your face in the calloused palm of his hand, tilting it up until your lips met. He revelled in the way your lips moved against his, the same way they did when you were kids. He knew your kiss better than the back of his hand, and he wanted to kick himself for keeping you at arms length when you belonged in their embrace. Saeyoung could finally understand what you meant, because he would happily drown in your kiss if it meant he could feel the way he did in that moment for the rest of his life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every nerve in his body lit up as he deepened the kiss, fire dancing through his veins as you wrapped your arms around his neck, hands running through his hair. With a moment of boldness, he moved his hands to sit on your waist as he pulled your closer to him, your bodies flush against each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When you both broke away to breathe, he tucked his face into your neck, his eyelashes tickling against your skin as his eyes fluttered shut. He didn’t particularly believe in destiny, but having you in his arms made him entertain the idea. He would no longer deprive you of the love you deserved, nor would he deprive himself of the love he desired.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a lot of healing to do, and it would take time, you both knew that. Trust doesn’t come naturally to those born in a storm. But you can’t soothe the storm, nor can you live in the calm before it, you can only weather it. And if you were by his side, then what was a little bit of thunder?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You both stood there in each other’s embrace, completely sodden but passed the point of caring. You wanted to savour that moment, because that was the first time in both your lives where you felt completely at ease in your bliss; and when it rains, it pours.</span>
</p>
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